Avery battles with Rolfe Judd over £20m Victoria project

The future of a prime site in central London is in the balance, with local residents and Westminster council in a stand-off.

A community-backed scheme by Bryan Avery Associates has been turned down by the council, which has appointed its own architect, Rolfe Judd, to produce an alternative office-dominated project.

Resident groups have accused the council of trying to maximise its own profits. The council pursued its own plans for the Tatchbrook Triangle area in Victoria after rejecting Avery's £20 million mixed-use scheme - which includes a cinema - and has the backing of 14 of the 15 local resident groups.

However, the council's plans for the site, close to Victoria station, have been brought to a standstill after the DCMS decided to spotlist a number of Georgian houses on the site.

Community representative Moy Scott said they had been hoping for an 'exciting' new building for the site. Westminster denied it had a vested interest and is considering its next step, which could include an application for listed building consent or an alternative scheme that accommodates the existing buildings.

Subscribe to the AJ

The Architects’ Journal is the UK’s best-selling weekly architecture magazine and is the voice of architecture in Britain

About the Architects' Journal

The Architects' Journal is the voice of architecture in Britain. We sit at the heart of the debate about British architecture and British cities, and form opinions across the whole construction industry on design-related matters